Borys Oliynyk Simply Recited Poetry

Last Wednesday, poet Borys Oliynyk held an author’s soiree at Ukraine House. The list of his titles, awards, and offices is endless: he is a National Shevchenko Prize winner, full member of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences and International Slavic Academy, Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, President of the Ukrainian Culture Foundation, major public figure, and the list goes on. But the jubilant himself (Mr. Oliynyk celebrated his sixty-fifth birthday on October 22) preferred this evening just to be a poet because, as he admitted himself, poetry remains his main occupation, while politics has intruded into his life by way of misfortune. This is why Ukraine House heard the poetic lines of one of the most brilliant representatives of romanticism for three solid hours. Politics would stage a comeback whenever some of the many guests pronounced salutations in honor of the celebrant. There were none of the answers to written questions, which some other literary figures like to fill their soirees with. In the interval, one heard only poems, songs (for many lyrical masterpieces of Oliynyk have been set to music) and thunderous applause. This is an apt reply to those who claim that the nation’s literature in general and Ukrainian poetry in particular are not needed because society is too politicized and is indifferent to things beautiful. To tell the truth, such a question usually arise when there in nothing else to say. Borys Oliynyk preferred just to read poems.

The Day’s staff extend their greetings to the jubilant and wish him every success.